Control device



Dec. 21, 1948. v N, SCHUBEL 2,456,998.

CONTROL DEVICE Filed Nov. 9, 19,46

A Tram/Ev v Patented Dec. 21, 1948 U N IT ED S TA TES 0F FIC E CONTROL DEVICE Victor N. Schubel, DearbormiMich.

Application November 9, 1946, SeriallNo. "709,1)74` 3 Claims.

The present invention relates vto la control device whereby a'driven member is operable inresponse to a drive member, Ybut otherwise is immobile.`

One particular :application of the 'present-invention is noted for example as va control device to` lock the rudder shaft of a small'ship, such as a sailboat, at any'givenlposition; A'driven Ishaft is operatively coupled to the boats rudder which is held immobileiagainstv theaction ofY wind, waves or water currents bythe locking action of the control device embodying the present invention. A drive shaft is operatively coupled through the aforesaid control device to the boats tiller and may be readily turnedand set at-any position, thereby operating the rudder shaft. Thus the forces of sudden gusts .of wind, large waves or other factors which might cause the boat to lurch `and which might otherwise jerk the tiller out of the hands ofthe helmsman, is prevented from being communicated from the rudder to the tiller.

Another application of the present control device is as a coupling for an automobile emergency hand brake wherein the hand lever is the drive member andthe brake rod is the driven member. By virtue of the present invention the hand lever may be freely moved to various positions, vand the brake will be set accordingly. Force applied to the brake rod cannot alter the brake setting and the brake Willremain in vits locked position until released by operation of the hand lever. Similarly, the .device may be .used 'for various steering or power controls `or in other applications where the particular above mentioned characteristics are desired.

A primary yobject of the present invention is to provide acontrolidevice ofthe character de scribed 'of improved and simplified construction which tends to eliminate play between the work-k ing 'parts invo'lvedfandwhich holds adriven means immobile until released lfor 'movement in accordance with vand under the control of a drivev means, sa-idy controlv devicebeing particularly adapted vto provi-de for free operation of the drive means,`and in turn vvthe driven "means, with*` out jamming `ofl the locking mechanism which prevents the driven'means from moving inde-v pendently of -t-he drivemeans.

'Further objects are toprovide a control device of the ucharacter'described having an `improved rugged .construction which `reduces Wear and deformation 'of the parts subject to ystress and minimizes` maintenance -costgthe essen-tial wear# ingvparts being vconstructed. of hardened vsteel roller4 bea-ring "racesffand- `Vhardened -steela rol-1er bearings, -both of i which arel economically available for usev with the 'present invention.

' Othercbjects lof v'this invention will appear in theA following i `description and-:appended claims',- reference being had-'tothe accompanying drawings y'forming/a partf of lthisspecification vwhereinmlike 'reference' 'characters designate 'corresponding parts in the several views.y

In thedrawings: l

Fig. 1 is a'fragmentary Vvert-ical'section through a` control device embodying lthe-present invention:

Fig.' 2 vis afsectiontakenin the ydirection 'of the arrowsl essentially along nthe -line 2-2 offFig; 1.

Fig '3 isl anisometric exploded :view *showing the relationship betweenthe^'various-parts ofthe control `device Ashown inrEgswl` and 2.l

Before explaining the present invention in "detailiit is'to beunderstood that `the inventionis not limitedlin its yapplication-to `the'detalspf constructionand arrangement lof` parts `illustrated in Ithe accompanying drawings,` since "the invention-figcapable-of other-embodiments and of being Ipracticed orcarriedy outiin'various ways. Alsoitis to be'understoocl that thephraseology or' terminology i employed herein is for ythe 'purposeL 'of description 'and not 'or limitation;

'One embodiment of `the "present vinvention brieyproposesbyfway of example the use fof. 'a conventional circular roller Ibearing race, mounted stationarily to a framefand Aone'or more spaced rider members, which may be roller bearings, seated withinand' movable along `the stationary or guide bearing'race;l `A driven means, mounted for rotation about'the Lcenter ofthe stationary bearing race; provides an extension vor seat for each-of saidmider-members lThe `application of yforces onsaiddrivenmeans ktending to rotate it independently or said riderswi-ll cause the eX- tensions'jorriderseats of said driven means to press against'sa'idriders so as ,to presssaid riders against the 'sides jofjthe'jstationary bearing race andI thereby to immobiliz'e' ,said riders. :by friction With"'saidstationary4 jbearin'g'race. Thus the' rotation ofthe driven means is eli'ectively blocked. In *orderrto' eie'ctf' rotation Aof the "driven means, it is necessary to 'applyio'rcesv which will drive the; riders along the Astationary guide bearing race and simultaneously rotate the driven means so that the extensions or rider seats thereof will be unable torseatfagainst andpress .against the riders. This latt'erfis 'accomplished by the drive means'whichlis adapted byfrotation .to press against "the `yriders `which" are blocking rotation the keyway i3, and held against endwise movement by the threaded set screw I4 which may be tightened against the base of the annular slot MA of the shaft Il). collar I I provides the arcuate drive means or lug I6 which has the roller bearing contacting faces The outer surface of the drive lug .I6 f is concentric With the hardened stationary outer I' and I8.

roller bearing guide race I9. The inner surface of the arcuate drive lug I6 is concentric with the hardened inner or driven bearing race 20, which latter is securely mounted on the eccentric extension 2l of the collar 22 to be rotatable therewith, Fig. 2. The collar 22 is concentrically mounted on the driven shaft 23 and is keyed to be rotatable therewith by the key 24 in the keyway 25. The threaded set screw 26 within the collar 22 is provided to be tightened against the base of the annular slot 26A so as to hold the drivenshaft 23 from endwise movement. The eccentric projection 2! extends over the end of the drive shaft I0 and is rotatable thereabout, being spaced therefrom by the bearing l2'?. IThe thrust bearing 28 separates the coaxially aligned shafts I and 23.

It is to be noted that the inner bearing race and outer bearing race I9 are eccentrically mounted one within the other to provide an eccentric space therebetween, and that the arcuate drive means I6 projects into the smaller portion of the aforesaid eccentric space, Fig. 2, so as to be disposed essentially symmetrically on either side of a plane passing through the axial centers of the two bearing races I9 and 2. riders 29 and 30, steel roller bearings in the present instance, are seated in contact with the two bearing races I9 and 20, within the eccentric space therebetween and adjacent the faces Il ,and I3, respectively, of the drive lug I6 so as'to partition said eccentric spaceessentially into anoversized and undersized portion relative to said roller bearings 29 and 39. Disposed within the oversized portion of said eccentric space betweenthe bearing races I9 and 20 and between the two roller` bearings 2d and 3l) and secured to the driven bearing race 20 to be rotatable therewith is the tubular spring housing or rigid backing member 3l for the coil spring 32, the latter being adapted to press at its oppositeends against the riders or roller bearings 29 and 36 to urgesaidroller bearings 2S and 3ft toward their respective seats and theV undersized portion of the aforesaid eccentric space. The rigid backing memberor tubular.

.spring housing'SI is also essentially symmetrically disposedon-either side of a plane .through the axial centers of the bearing races I9 and 20 and is adjacent at its opposite ends to the roller bearings 29 and 30, being slightly spaced therefrom when the control device is at itsfrest position, ,Y

Fig. 2.

In the structure shown it is preferred that the collar I l, the facing I5, andthe arcuate drive means or lug I6 comprise portions of .a one-piece structure which is rotatable'with thel `rllvef Simili A broad facing I5 of-thel Two movable` I0. Likewise, it is preferable that the eccentric extension 2l and the collar 22 are portions of a single structure which is rotatable with the driven shaft 23. Thus when forces are applied to the driven shaft 23 to rotate it in either direction independently of the drive shaft lil, the driven bearing race 2li which is eccentrically secured to the driven shaft 23 for rotation therewith bears against one or the other of the riders or roller bearings 29 or 30.

Force tending to rotate the driven shaft 23 in a clockwise direction, for example, will cause the driven bearing race 2li to press against the roller bearing 29. The force of the driven bearing race 2e against the bearing 29 may be resoived into two components, a vertical component tending to press the roller bearing 2S vertically against the stationary bearing guide race i9, and a tangential componentv tending to drive the roller bearing 29 along the stationary bearing guide race I9. Accordingly, it is only necessary to select the proper dimensions and disposition of the bearing races I9 and 23 and the roller bearing 29 so that the ratio of the tangential component of force to the vertical component of force will be less than the coefficient of friction between the bearing 29 and the stationary bearing guide race I9. lIn that event, pressure of the driven bearing race Z on the roller bearing 28 will immobilize that roller. bearing by friction with the stationary bearing guide race I9. Thus rotation of the driven bearing racell and, accordingly, the driven shaft 2#` will be blocked. In a similar manner, counterclockwise rotation of the shaft 23 will be prevented by the roller bearing 3l.

' When the drive shaft vIIlis rotated clockwise, the face if of the drive means or lug I6 presses against the roller bearing 29 and readily drives it along the stationarybearing guide race ls. At the Vsame time the face I8 is rotated away from the roller bearing 3Q. Furthermore, as soon as the roller bearing 29 traverses the slight increment which normally separates the roller bearing 29 from the rigid backing or spring housing 3l, the force of the drive means I6 against the roller bearing 29 will be communicated to the rigid backing 3l and will, accordingly, drive the driven shaft 23. Similarly, counter-clockwise rotation of the drive shaft I0 will be communicated to the driven shaft 23 through the roller bearing.

1t is preferred that the collar II be a bronze casting so as to provide a suitable bearing surface within the journal housing 33 in which the collar II is journaled. Likewise the collar 22 is preferably a bronze casting so as to provide a suitable bearing surface for the journal housing 361 in which the collar 22 is journaled. The facing 35 and annular extension 36 of the housing 34 provide a housing for the stationary bearing guide race is which latter tightly nts within the annular extension 36 and is thereby held stationary in its housing. The annular facing 3l of the housing 33 and the annular facing 38 of the housing 33 are drawn to each other by the plurality of bolts 39 within the threaded bolt holes im and bolt holes lII in the facings 3l and 33 re-` vice the locking action which prevents rotation of the driven shaft 23 independently of the `drive 55 shaft U does not depend in anysenseupondrive ing the roller bearings'29 or 30 into a wedge', such as theA wedge provided by the undersized portion of the eccentricspace between the inner and outer bearing races-19 and 20. Consequently, the disadvantagelof -jamming Which is frequently experienced with control devices employing a wedging action is avoided by the present invention. When torque is applied to rotate the driven shaft 23 independently of lthe drive shaft Hl, the driven bearing race 20 merely bears against one or. the other of theI -rollerbearingsla or 3d and is blocked against rotation. When the rotational torque is released, the pressure between the driven bearing race 20 and the roller bearing is simpiy relaxed and the roller bearing may be yreadily -moved by operation-of the drive shaitlll.

Another and primary consideration of the present invention is the high operating efficiency and economy of construction made possible by the use of hardened steelbearing races and hardened steel roller bearings which are economically produced in quantities by mass production methods. The principal mechani-sm of the control device shown is achieved merely by extracting all of the roller bearings except two from a conventional bearing assembly and by mounting the two bearing races eccentrically one Within the other essentially as described.

In addition to the obvious economy over conventional methods of machining and hardening odd-shaped parts to make a control device of the olas-s involved, the use of hardened steel bearing races and roller bearings reduces wear and deformation and provides a control device capable of resisting great stress without becoming faceted or deformed where the interacting parts press against each other. Where for the sake of economy, softer materials are used in place of the hardened bearing races and roller bearings employed in the present invention, the interacting parts become pocketed or iiattened at various portions in the course of wear and frequent jamming of the locking mechanism results. Thus the present invention provides an economical solution to one of the major problems of conventional control devices and reduces the possibility of jamming of the locking mechanism to a minimum.

The economy and efliciency of a control device utilizing conventional hardened bearing races and roller bearings may be achieved by other embodiments of the spirit of my invention. For example, either the inner or outer bearing race could be adapted as a stationary bearing race secured to a housing. It is feasible to stationarily mount the inner bearing race concentrlcaliy with both the drive shaft l!) and driven shaft 23 and to couple the outer bearing race eccentrically to the driven shaft 23 to be rotatable therewith as a driven bearing race and to be rotatable eccentrically to the stationary inner bearing race. 'I'he function and operation of the remaining elements in such an embodiment remain the same. Torque tending to rotate the eccentric outer driven bearing race independently of the drive shaft l will press the roller bearings 29 or 30 as the case may be against the stationary inner race so as to block rotation of the driven shaft 23.

It is to be noted further that the ball bearing riders 29 and 38 as employed in the preferred embodiments shown in the drawings are not essential to the present invention and that other riders such as cylindrical roller bearings or slidable members that `will seat between the bearing racesand be movable along the stationary guide bearing'race are feasible in other embodiments -ior specific purposes.

By the above'- disclosures and description I have provided importantV improvements in the economy and eiiiciency of a control device of the class described, which will not jam or wedge and which is particularly characterized by a simplied and economical construction which provides for the usel of` conventional hardened steel bearing races and roller bearings for the principal operating mechanism.

I claim:

l. In combination, a stationary circular guide bearing race and a circular driven bearing race mounted eccentrically one within the other to provide an eccentric space therebetweemfsaid driven bearing race being mounted ior eccentric rotation about the center of said guide bearing race; two movable riders seated in Contact with said ytwo races anl spaced apart within said eccentric space to parti on said cccentri essentiallyintoanoveisized and undo Zed portion relative to said riders, a tubular spring housing disposed between said riders within the oversized portion of said eccentric space and secured to said driven bearing race and opening adjacent each of said riders, resilient means protruding from the openings or said tubular spring housing to urge each of said riders toward its seat and the undersized portion. of said eccentric space, said driven bearing race being adapted by eccentric rotation in either direction to rotate against one of said. riders and to immobiline that rider by friction Contact with said stationary guide bearing race and thereby to prevent further rotation `of said driven bearingf race, drive means rotatable concentrically about the center of said stationary guide bearing race, driving lugs provided by said drive means and positioned within the undersized portion of said eccentric space ailaoent each of said riders to drive one or the other ci said riders along said stationary guide bearing race upon rotation of said drive means in either direction, motion of either oi said riders against said adjacent tubular spring housing being communicated thereto to rotate said driven bearing race.

2. In combination, a rotatable driven means, a circular bearing race mounted eccentrically on said driven means for rotation therewith, a stationary circular guide bearing race mounted concentrically with said driven means, said driven bearing race and said guide bearing race being mounted eccentrically one within the other to provide an eccentric space therebetween, two movable riders seated within said eccentric space in contact with said two races and spaced apart to partition eccentric space essentially into an oversized and undersized portion relative to said riders, a rigid backing secured to said driven bearing race within the oversized portion of said eccentric space and adjacent each of said riders, resilient means to urge each of said riders toward its respective seat and the undersized portion yof said eccentric space, said driven bearing race being thereby adapted by rotation in either direction to rotate against one of said riders and to press that rider against said stationary guide bearing race and thereby to immobilize that rider by friction contact with said guide bearing race and thereby to prevent further rotation `of said driven bearing race, and drive means rotatable concentrically about the center of said stationary guide bearing race, two driving lugs provided by said drive means and rotatable therewith, one of said lugs being adjacent one of each of said riders and Within the undersized portion of said eccentric space to drive one or the other of said. riders upon rotation of said drive means in either direction, motion of either of said riders toward said adjacent rigid backing being communicated thereto to rotate said driven bearing race.

3. In a coupling to allow rotation of a driven shaft in response to rotation of a drive shaft and to lock said driven shaft against rotation otherwise, the combination of a circular bearing guide race and a circular driven bearing race mounted eccentrica-ily one within the other to provide an eccentric space therebetween, said driven bearing race being mounted for eccentric rotation about the center of said guide race and being cooperable with said driven shaft to drive same, two movable riders seated in contact with said two races and spaced apart Within said eccentric .space to partition said eccentric space essentially into an oversized and undersized portion relative to said riders, a rigid backing disposed between said riders Within the oversized portion of said eccentric space and secured to said driven race, resilient means to urge each of said riders toward its seat and the undersized portion of said eccentric space, driving members cooperable with said vdrive shaft to be driven thereby and being adjacent each of said riders and within the undersized Aportion of said eccentric space.

VICTOR VN. SCHUBEL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

